A picture is worth a thousand words.

Farewell, Fragrant Harbour

We had expected to be here for a while. Say 2-3 years. What we had not anticipated were the way things eventually panned out. Our brief, but nonetheless fruitful time here will be a constant reminder to me that some things in life are destined to happen, so that we can be happy and contented in the most unplanned way and at the most unexpected moments.

As with any places, there are things that you grew to love, and those that you’ll continue to loathe. Some stuff we’ll will miss about HK:

1) friends we made
2) convenience of living right inside city center- walking distance to Victoria Park, Central Library, with no lack of shopping, dining, entertainment choices
3) Victoria Harbour
4) wonderful hiking trails and mountains
5) ferry rides to one of the many outlying islands
6) proximity to and relative ease of exploring mainland China
7) 45 mins train ride away to Shenzhen where the best ever massage awaits
8) sense of vibrancy the city exudes, the ability of both the old and new, modern and traditional to coexist
9) afternoon tea or Yum Cha culture
10) city’super at Times Square and IFC

Some others that we can do without:

1) noise! it’s next to impossible finding a peaceful spot here with the seemingly endless constructions and upgrading projects ongoing everywhere
2) living inside city center also means beating the crowd everywhere, anytime
3) when Victoria Harbour is enveloped in smog (which is most of the time)
4) poor air quality
5) frequent grey and gloomy skies
6) absence of trees in the city
7) unpredictable weather
8) high humidity level, the kind that results in water droplets distilling from inside your wardrobe
9) dripping air-con water during summer
10) cheek by jowl residential buildings

In his line of work, there will be future trips back here for sure. The only difference is, we’ll be returning as visitors and not residents anymore.

Whatever it is, thanks for all the shared memories and for making our life experiences a little richer. Here’s to you, the city that has given us much.
Thank you for having us.